In line with all Scottish arms, Carruthers arms must be differenced from those of Holmains i.e. the arms of our Chief (see left). As such they would have differences from the two gold engrailed chevrons and fleur de lis on a red shield. The arms of Sir Joseph H. McNeill Carruthers do not seem to follow the normal strict protocol but are individualised nevertheless by removing one chevron and engrailing the other.
Carruthers as an ancient border family, has a rich history in heraldry, and we are the only Scottish clan or family to have retained angelic crests throughout its history. For those who are unaware, the arms of the Chief or any other armiger can only to be used by them or with his permission. The arms are therefore defined as the shield itself.
The other constituant parts are described as his full achievement and is listed below. NB: the supporters of two fallow deer bucks rampant on a compartment of heathland were granted to reflect Holmains position as a Scottish Chief. They were granted by the Lord Lyon on behalf of the British Monarch as his Officer whose jurisdiction is of such matters, here in Scotland.
The Arms of Sir Joseph Hector McNeill Carruthers KCMG, MA, LLD.
The information below, regarding the arms of Sir Joseph H. McNeill Carruthers has been researched by our former Commissioner to Australia, Gary John Carruthers, FSA Scot. Gary remains very active in the Clan as one of our senior Clan Genealogists and remains personal Advisor to the Chief.
He writes:
Finally, after years looking for it, I’ve found the Arms of Sir Joseph Hector McNeill Carruthers, a Premier of New South Wales and a founder of the Liberal Party in Australia.
The Crest of Sir Joseph Carruthers KCMG (far right).
There are two heraldic representations for Sir Joseph Carruthers at the University of Sydney. Arms carved in stone are on the interior Eastern wall of MacLaurin Hall, and a crest is carved in stone on the exterior southern wall of MacLaurin Hall.
Arms of Sir Joseph Carruthers KCMG
(I don’t believe there is a record of the Lord Lyon matriculating or granting these Arms)
Sir Joseph was born in Australia and by co-incidence lived in Balmain, Sydney. He was a neighbour of my g-grandfather Christopher, although I cannot yet establish family ties. Sir Joseph’s father was born in Glasgow, Scotland abt 1809 and he joined the Army at an early age, then sent to India and Ireland where his military career became so intolerable (he was consistently drunk and beat colours .. “at the wrong time”) that he was locked up in the “black hole of Calcutta”. His final posting to Ireland, most likely as a punishment, was the final straw .. he was put in chains and sent of to the Colony of Australia.
Gary J. Carruthers, FSA Scot
Senior Clan Genealogist, Advisor to the Chief
A commentary on Sir Joseph Carruthers Arms
What is interesting about Sir Joseph’s arms (depicted to the left), is that as Carruthers arms come from a recognised Scottish family, they were not granted by the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. These days, to be recognised as such, they would have to have been.
However, as a Knight of the realm (Knighted 1908) and as a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, a British chivalric order bestowed on a British subject by the monarch and as an Australian citizen, it is feasible in those days that his grant came from the College of Arms in London. This is something that would not necessarily occur today and further research suggests this is not the case.
However, Gary has made contact through the Australian Heraldry Society who would lead us to believe that Sir Joseph’s arms may have been assumed by him but not registered. As such, on using them, the University of Sydney may have used a bit of ‘artistic licence’ in adding them to the walls of MacLaurin Hall. Either way, rather than using the Chief’s arms, he followed heraldic protocol and differenced them to make them his own. As a knight of the realm, Sir Joseph would have been more than entitled to arms, and his willingness to assume them in part, would allow the possibility of his descendants to have them considered for matriculation by the Lyon Court. It would be the Lord Lyons choice based on his opinion and mandate, to advise going forwards.
The format of these arms are therefore interesting in as much as in the chosen differences he used. In this instance, Sir Joseph seems to have taken the arms of Sir Simon, 10th and last of Mouswald registered in the 1500’s (seen left) and augmented the single chevron by making it engrailed. Thus leaving only one chevron on the shield rather than the two chevrons/chevronelles as used by the Chief. He has we must presume, retained the Carruthers colours of gold (Or) and red (Gules), and paid homage to the chiefly house of Holmains themselves by retaining the Chief’s motto of Promptus et Fidelis (ready and faithful).
The choice of his crest is also interesting but not surprising, as this crest was used by some commercial enterprises on the Chief’s arms (Holmains) to depict the seraphim volant Proper as was the cherub, both of which are incorrect. However, the ‘angel in flight’ fits in well with the angelic crest tradition of Carruthers and sits proud on Sir Joseph’s arms above his helm (as can be seen above).
Interestingly, the cherub has been used by the Mitchell Carruthers, to depict Carruthers, in their conjoined arms (see below).
Choice of Crests by our family
It is not unusual for crests to be reused, either in their original presentation or as a variation. The Chief’s crest has been used by Gary himself along with the Chief’s motto (see left), when having his arms drawn by the Lyon artist on his Letters patent. These were the last arms granted to any Carruthers to date.
As a Carruthers armiger, former Convenor and now Shennachie, my own arms retained the Carruthers values and custom. After much deliberation and continuing with the tradition of an angelic theme of Carruthers crests, I chose St Michael pinning the beast for a multitude of reasons. However, I then chose to break away from using our Chief’s motto and instead had chosen Non Sto Solus (I do not stand alone) to individualise my personal arms and those of my heirs going forwards. These were granted by the Lord Lyon in 2017.
St. Michael was also used by the Michell Carruthers, a senior Holmains branch, as part of the crests on their conjoined and quartered arms. The arms are divided into four (see below).
The dexter (left) first quarter holds the most honourable quarter (the dexter chief), which in this case is Carruthers, and the sinister (right) in the second quarter is Mitchell. These arms are repeated in reverse in the base quarters to preserve artistic balance. Above the dexter first quarter is the Cherub (depicting Carruthers in dominance). Above the sinister second quarter is St Michael in armour, holding a spear (depicting Mitchell). The crescent shows that these are the arms of Cécelia, our European Commissioner, as the second child.
There has always been a question regarding what the Carruthers arms would have been like after the 1672 Lyons Act, if the Mouswald line had survived. It was in this year, that the Arms of all Scots who were worthy to bear them, irrelevant of status, had to by law register them with the Lord Lyon. A situation that has lasted to this day, with all accepted Scots arms required to be included on the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings of Scotland.
Of course, not all were accepted nor were all permitted to bear arms who may have previously chosen to do so. This is further recognising that the 16th century recorded arms of Sir Simon 10th of Mouswald and last of that House, mirrored exactly the Brouns of Carsluith. As such, if presented for registration, one of the families would have had to change. Because the Brouns’ arms had historical precedence, we presume that Carruthers would have had to make changes to the Mouswald arms.
Would they simply have engrailed the Chevron as depicted by Sir Joseph or have used some other format to differentiate their own personal identity, who knows.
We do know that the chiefly House of Holmains integrated the arms of Sir Simon and the ancient Carruthers arms to produce the Carruthers Chief’s arms we have today. However, conjecture, although interesting definitely does not reflect the facts as they exist today. As Mouswald is considered an extinct line, we are where we are with our Chiefs arms which have been in existance since at least the 1500’s.
Sir Joseph Hector McNeil Carruthers (1856-1932) an Australian politician, solicitor and investor, was born on 21 December 1856 at Kiama, New South Wales, sixth son of nine children born to a Scottish immigrant farmer, John Carruthers (Cruthers), and his English wife Charlotte, née Prince. After qualifying as a lawyer, he soon became involved in land speculation as a sideline to his conveyancing duties and made considerable sums of money from the land sales which followed the opening of the Illawarra Railway Line in October 1884.
He first became interested in politics while still at the University when he worked for the return of the liberal Dr. Arthur Renwick for the University seat in the N.S.W. Parliament against conservative protectionist, Edmund Barton and in February 1887, was approached to stand as a Free Trade candidate for the four-member constituency of Canterbury in succession to William Judd of “Athelstane”, Arncliffe who had decided not to seek re-election. This seat covered the whole of southern Sydney from Watson’s Bay to Liverpool.
Otago Daily Times 4th July 1908
In 1889 Carruthers, who had helped to draw up the ephemeral Liberal Party platform of 6 March, became minister of public instruction during Sir Hendry Parkes’s last ministry. He introduced a bill to endow a women’s college within the university. Abolishing the Board of Technical Education, he brought technical colleges under the Department of Public Instruction. The Parkes Ministry lasted until January 1889 when a revolt of his own supporters caused Parkes’s resignation and new elections. Carruthers again led the Free Trade Party team (soon to become the Liberal and Reform Party) in Canterbury where his personal popularity ensured them the easiest of victories. When Parkes reformed his Ministry after the election, Joseph Hector Carruthers was named Minister for Public Instruction. Sir Joseph went on to other posts to include Minister of Lands, Colonial Treasurer, second most senior position in the Cabinet. In 1902, Sir Joseph became the leader of the Liberal Party and in 1904 to 1907, Premier of New South Wales.
Never a well man, on 10th December 1932, shortly before his 75th birthday, he died peacefully at his home, “Highbury”, in Old South Head Road, Waverley, N.S.W. Apart from his political career he had had many other interests. He had been a member of the Senate of the University of Sydney and one of the founders of the University Union, President of the N.S.W. Chamber of Agriculture, a member of the Royal Agricultural Society, a trustee of National Park and the National Art Gallery. He was a past president of the N.S.W. Cricket Association, played bowls regularly and enjoyed fishing and shooting. He was a trustee of the M.L.C. Assurance Company, a director of the Kembla Grange and Moorefield Racing Clubs, the National Insurance Company and the Australian Widows Fund. He held extensive pastoral holdings in mid-western and southern N.S.W. For many years he had had a fascination with Captain Cook and was responsible for setting aside the Captain Cook Landing Place Reserve at Kurnell as well as being chairman of trustees of the Reserve for many years.
The Arms of Gary John Carruthers
As an aside, to better understand the differencing in the development of arms based on genealogy, here are Gary’s own arms (see above) laid out in the process which led to his matriculation by the Lord Lyon, in 2019.
With proven Carruthers genealogy, anyone of our family, if meeting the criteria, may apply for Scottish arms. We welcome Carruthers to petition. Americans may apply for arms if the can prove that they have Scottish ancestry going back to colonial times.
For further information on both the Carruthers armorial history and living armigers, check out the links.
Our clan and society, ever growing, ever researching, ever moving forwards.
Promptus et Fidelis
